THE FINAL POST ON OUR TIME AT YWAM. "Sorry for the delay on this last post...complications, ay!"

Our flight home from Kona, via Honolulu, went very well; in fact it was the best five hour flight I’ve ever been on. On it I wrote my last blog posting, watched a true story movie and started reading my newest book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” the true story of how doctors stole this dying women’s cells without her knowledge, or compensation, these cells are called HeLa cells (look up HeLa cells for the whole picture). Our flight was especially blessed by having three seats between us, Buck always likes to sit in the window seat, I always like the aisle seat, which I never get because we like setting together, so because of the window situation, I get the middle, usually next to a wonderful stranger, but this flight was light with many open seats, so when the plane took off I almost had an apoplexy of joy.  

Sitting on the isle has many advantages, like quick and easy access to the lavatories, visibility of food carts coming, leg room, and a sense of superiority, as well as being able to put my computer on my seat table, while using the middle seats table for my mouse, snacks and drinks (soft & diet). Everything would have been super special had it not been for the minor discomfort of set row width, the lassie sitting in front of me, decided, quickly after take-off, to recline her seat for a five hour nap, which put my table, which was attached to her seat, squally in my belly button, and my computer in my spleen, typing was tight, but crisp.

Gratefully I had been conditioned through two months of YWAM in dealing with surprises of pain, YWAM’s motto is “Concreted in Flexibility,” so I muscled my way through sleeping beauties surprise slumber.

Five hour flights on American Airlines are thin on the food pyramid, only drinks, but we beat the airlines stinginess by bringing our own food pyramid consisting of Lay’s Original Potato Chips, Lay’s Cheetos, Maui Crisp Potato Chips, and dessert (a bag of Bit-Sized Butterfingers), as well as our own bottle of water (we didn’t trust plane water for health reasons). I started writing first, watched the movie second, and started my book forty-five minutes before landing at LAX; by the way, three chapters takes forty-five minutes to read.

A few final thoughts on YWAMs impact on the two of us:

Two months was a very long time to be gone from normal, but short in the rear view mirror.

I want to live in Canada if all the Canadians are like our Mission Builder friends Ron and Sharon, Karen, Ed and Ruth, Mark and Brenda, the real Tozers and the fake one, as well as Lester and Marie. They are all very fun, funny, hard working, flexible, trustworthy, spiritual, bright, and great servants for God’s kingdom. Canadian women are bossy, in a good way, and competent; the men are all Alpha Dogs in a good way, my assumption for these make ups, that the cold weathers affect on decision making, I think everyone has to be a take charge person or they’d freeze to death in the outdoors if they were indecisive. 

YWAM is full of wonderful, deep, prayer believing, God listening, joyful people who are the cutting edge type people of the Kingdom. They are world beaters, demon destroyers, faith builders and sacrificial. By working in the kitchen and serving food, as well as cleaning up after everyone, it gave us Mission Builders the privilege of coming across all the students, young and old, and the results were both refreshing and inspirational.

God answered all our prayers we offered up to Him before we went to Kona. We met super new friends, had the most amazing experiences, our days were full of laughter, we were challenged in our faith, and inspired to want more of what YWAM has. My knees survived, I lost weight, and I felt very strong and content. Our bond with one another crew even closer, we contributed to God’s work in a real way, and we were full of praise for God and grew to want to hear Him more clearly in our future.

You can thrive on less than 1000 calories a day.

Hard physical labor is good for the soul.

Two months in a spiritual incubator clears one of bitterness.

Dean Martin said of his parting ways with Jerry Lewis, “Meeting Jerry Lewis was the second best thing that ever happened to me, the first best thing was leaving him.” For me, being out of ministry is greater than being in it, and being in it was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.  I am so full of joy and peace on this side of ministry; all the while I pray that all my experiences can be more useful to others, as well as God’s Kingdom in the future. I praise and thank God for my thirty years of service, it has been a great joy, but the future seems even brighter now. God is very good.

I really, really, really like writing.

Buckwheat is a star wherever she goes, everyone couldn’t stop talking about her outer and inner beauty, she exudes trustworthiness, wisdom, gentleness, and joy and service were ever she goes. She is the most respect person I know, and it doesn’t take her any time to be known, which is funny coming from such a quit person. Buckwheat is a world class listener, which is felt by everyone who meets her. To see her interact with everyone and see the respect from everyone was truly a blessing. She is the most amazing women, full of grace and beauty.

Huggo’s “ON THE ROCKS” restaurant, on Ali’i Dr. was the best place to sink your feet in the sand, have a coke or coffee, watch beautiful Kailua Bay, and talk. Simply beautiful. Great moments of togetherness. We need a Huggo’s here.

Watching the closing night’s ceremony with all of our Polynesian friends dancing in the pouring rain was the most inspirational time in Kona, simply breath taking, so much love and appreciation to the dancers and from them to the audience for staying in the down pour. Plastic chairs held over the heads as the rain came down were priceless. Going on stage as we were leaving to say high to the boys was special.

Being friends with all the wonderful young people from Finland, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Norway, England, and the United States was a treasure chest full of precious moments. They all filled our hearts with so much joy, and we feel a special connectedness to their futures. What a joy they all where, what a special privilege to know them so deeply. God is so awesome. Thanks to all the young people for including people old enough to be their grandparents, you made us feel special and young.

Brenda Gieser was the most special and inspirational person we met, and we met a lot of special, inspirational people. Brenda carries a special weight and a special faith; she has transformed Buckwheat and me, Brenda and her daughter Audra, filled our hearts with deep, deep, love and faith.

Working for YWAM was one of the great opportunities of our lives, we want to do it again, next time in Switzerland, and a goal would be to go to a different base every year. Each base would have different work for us, when we talked to the leaders of Mission Builders International, they said with my background as a Pastor and ours as a successful marriage, we would be very helpful in Switzerland’s base that deals with missionaries coming out of war torn areas, we could be used for counseling and reentering into normal life for these under siege missionaries. We are offering this up to the Lord.

We want to hear God more clearly and serve Him more faithfully.

It feels really, really, really good to be home. God is faithful, and is to be praised and glorified.

• This is my final Kona Khronicle post.
• My new blog is WorthWriting, which can be found at www.itisworthwriting.blogspot.com

Thanks for being a part of our work at YWAM these past two months.

CLOSING NIGHT AND A LOCO MOCO: BOTH GREAT FINISHES.

They had two birthday cakes for the 50th party of YWAM, Kona, Hawaii.
These cakes had 3000 cup cakes on them, Carol and I helped frost 900.

The finally was a Polynesian extravaganza, led by some of our friends.
Luki, Shannon, Hero, Psalm, Peni, David and Brian. It was the best show I've ever seen.

The lady with the fire is dancing with fire attached to her hips.
As fast as she was dancing its a wonder the fires didn't go out.

The warriors from New Zealand turning their lives around through Jesus Christ.

The greatest spiritual part of the whole night was the downpour that happened 15 minutes before the end.
Some people left, but most honored the hard work and effort of the dancers and stayed with chairs over
their heads. 84 year Lorain Cunningham, the founder of YWAM stayed with a chair over his and his wives hair, priceless. Yelling, applauding, cheers, and love was felt to the dancers and them to us. It was the spiritual high of our two months.

This is my friend Robby and Chef Vern's son, I treated him to his first LOCO MOCO yesterday. You'll notice that LOCO MOCO is in capitals because of its size: two hamburger patties, two giant scopes of rice, two fried eggs, brown gravy, Tabasco sauce and Soy sauce, this was the biggest one I've ever seen. Ono!

PEACE ON A GRASSY KNOLL?

We are on our last lap here at Kona, and quit, peace, and sitting in the Sun by myself is still a priority for me. I don’t get my energy, or a restoration of energy by being with people, I find it in short bursts on YWAM’s campus by lifting weights on my break, or sitting on this little grassy hill behind the Ohana Court, which is especially fun this week since the kids are playing games all day in the court.

Yesterday I lifted weights, today I felt tired and wanted to rest during lunch, so I went to the grassy knoll, and we all know that the grassy knoll is a place for assignations. I went into the cooler in the kitchen as the rest of the Mission Builders headed for the food line, while they got big BLTs, Couscous, salad, and cookies, I copped two hard boiled eggs and a little tiny, but great apple, and headed to the sun, grass and a quick lunch, and then lay back on the slopped grassy knoll to listen from a unhindered distance to the music that was moving the kids through some fun games.

There is a serenity that envelops one when they are viewing, but not participating, in things while sitting in the sun, as the Island breezes, gently blow across your cheeks. I love people, and I love interacting with them, especially strangers, but energy comes from sucking up God’s energy, not mans.

Everything was as expected, the kids, the games, the music, the sun, the grass, being alone, and my perfect little lunch, the apple cut, and enveloped in two towelettes, my two eggs nestled gently in the pocket of my thin (for the weather) shorts.

Hat off, eggs out, salt out, apple slices open and lying on the grass, my water bottle open, time to eat and rest. Just as the energy was filtering into my pours, five little kids, ages 3-7 and one teacher came right up to my lava rock wall, which my waters rests upon and I use to crack my eggs. On top of the wall were items I’d not noticed until the kids ran up the grassy knoll, or reached up the wall to grab them.

What was them?

Them was twenty different “Blowing Bubbles” shapers. The kids of course were looking over the twenty like crazed Hernias over fallen prey, discarding small ones like useless bones. The kids held on to their finds like starving mothers with food for their babies, until they spotted a peer with a bigger blower, then the once priceless treasure became junked, other kids seeing the discard treated the items like leper carriers.

As the teacher offered suggestions on how to use what, the kids treated her like one of the bones, they were nice kids, don’t get me wrong, no fighting, swearing, grabbing, whining or any such thing, they were just a wild, pack of frenzied bubble blowers, understandable, considering the perfect sky and wind conditions.

But as I watched hyper breaking the serene, and the Lilliputians surrounding me like Gulliver, they started blowing, big bubbles, bigger bubbles, perfectly globed shaped large bubbles, with the wind going towards me, the onslaught of bubbles came over me like the air invasion over Normandy beach on “D” Day during World War II. Bubbles came crashing on my head, on my eggs, but worse, on my glasses, my glasses are very fragile glasses, the slightest bit of water will smudge them all day, nothing can clean them but the special eye glass cleaners I carry, which are back in the kitchen.  

My rest became my entertainment, the glasses could get cleaned later, the joy of watching God’s kids being filled with delight was energizing. Through the bubbles I could see my youth, and my grandchildren’s faces.   One little four your old Korean girl with glasses reminded me of my granddaughter Holland, as well as myself when I had glasses at two years of age. Her glasses where very large, perfect for her actually, she could not have been more adorable. It was just pricless watching her.

What a lunch, meager on morsels, but major on meaning.

Retirement will mean more, not less, more of these moments with my grand babies, more of my youthful moments through them.

Sometimes it’s good to be by yourself, especially when God intrudes your space with His energy. A super great lunch was enlarged when I was joined by Sharalee on my grassy knoll, Sheralee is a Canadian young gal who is bright, fun, interesting to talk to, and a great listener with a smothering smile, and eyes that make the day brighten up. Interestingly enough we talked about our energy levels away from crowds, and how much fun it is to see things clearer when away from people, she too, can talk to strangers and friends alike, but she also gets her energy with one or two others or by herself. She completed my lunch on the grassy knoll, what a delight she is, and what a delightful intrusion she brought.

Lunch consisted of two eggs, a tiny apple, a water bottle and a God intrusion. I went back to work full of God, joy and tranquility.

I was fired up for work, my body was energized.  

The Sun did shine today, and peace was found on a grassy knoll.

NIGHT SWIMMING WITH THE MANTA RAYS OFF THE SHERATON HOTEL WITH THE WINNS.

Diving with the Manta Rays has been the highlight of our tourism, swimming under the moon and the man made lights of the Sheraton Hotel and the dive boat had a wonderfully peaceful rhythm to it, as did the Hawaiian music wafting over the rocks and ocean. The dive lasted almost two hours with instructions and all, a video diver recorded the snorkeling for us as the Manta Ray’s kept eating right in front of our faces; the DVD will be about 15 minutes long and will be set to Hawaiian music. The Winn’s and we will share one DVD, I’m going to try and post it Saturday.

There where two Manta Rays tonight, one was six feet wide, the other was ten feet across.
The dive boat has lights, as does the Sheraton Hotel, plus the dive boat has divers that go
down to twenty-five feet with lights. The lights act like the Sun, which attracts the plankton, 
the Manta Ray feeds solely on plankton, so when the Rays see the lights, they know that food will be there.

The Manta Ray swims in shallow water below the plankton and then they do
back flips with their mouths wide open, by swimming they suck in the plankton.
When they did their flips, they came within 2 or 3 inches of us. Tonight two Manta Rays put
on a show for an hour, we could hear each other laugh and shout out joyful sounds as they
would flip below us and arch themselves so their giant gaping mouths would come straight at you.
The visibility was excellent, and the sea life came to action as divers, lights, camera and food were all in action.
Great, great time.

PICTURES FOR THE SHULGINS OF THE GROUNDS OF UNIVERSITY OF NATIONS FOR THE 50TH CELEBRATION (Click on any picture to enlarge).

Banyan Tree Cafes expansion and new two boat tree house for the kids.
One boat is Hawaiian, the other is Noah's Ark.

Side expansion of Banyan Cafe

Back expansion and view of down town Kona.

Hawaiian boat side view.

Noah's Ark finishing touches.

Massive meeting place for the 50th, this is above your old room dorms.
The walk way running across the path leads to your dorms above the pool area.

The Sail Coverings, a really big project for a weeks worth of show and tell.

65 eating area tents for the visitors.

Tent camping is on the soccer/football field, which is for the students who volunteered
their rooms for older visitors and some visitors.  

35 new flag poles were added, to the left will be food booths for people coming up to the base.

A view from the new dorms by the soccer fields, looking down on the eating area.
The building to the left is not done, but is being used for toilets and showers for the
 students and visitors who are camping.

Hundreds of YWAM flags lining the entry drive up the campus,
and all around the base, notice the flowers, please notice the flowers,
my friends planted all of them all over the base, tons of them, all over the base, tons.

SATURDAY ON THE EXTREME NORTH SHORE WITH THE WINNS.

The famous "Bottle Brush Tree" that nobody knows about because they are going by it at 55 mph. Who put the bottles on the tree that hangs over a cliff, and how do they stay that way, the winds are fierce up here, like blow you off your feet fierce?

Speaking of fierce, who's two fierce friends of ours on vacation, Gary and Karen Winn.
Fun, fun day, with fun, fun friends.



Pololu Valley was gotten to, down a very rocky path, and it was steep, athough short, it had a beautiful black sands beach and lagoon. This is the extreme north shore of the big island, the road ends here.



This was a very big beach, with very few people and no one went in the water, very, very rough and twirling like a washing machine, no rhythm, just mayhem, looks good, but junk, ya know.

Looking back up the river to the lagoon, great drift wood for hiking sticks, that's what they are looking for, Karen found a great one and gave it to me for the painful hike back up the boulder strewn trail.

Just a cool looking picture from the beach back up the other side of the hills in the lagoon. 
People live down here illegally.



Illegal homesteaders, I didn't know if they were Hawaiian, or just hippies, but they built a cool Swiss Family type of home, they had the whole place for themselves. You can see there little blue tarp, lean to house beyond the hammock.



Two families on vacation from Portland, joining their friend who lives in the
the little town of Hawi, who owns this cool, old, Hilo Sampan Dodge, people use to
take rides in this for 5 cents and tour Hilo. Cool huh?

A very Swiss Family Tree House in a yard on the way to the Pololu lookout.
This was a massive well built tree house in a massive Banyan tree in a persons
front yard, drive too fast, or talk too much and you miss wonderful sights.

In the same neighborhood as the tree house was this very old,
little church and cemetery, it was touching to walk and read
the old tombstones and go inside this church. The stain glass
windows had peoples names and the dates of their birth and death, family members gave money for
these beautiful windows. They were 100 years old.

This same little town was the birth place of the great King Kamehameha,
who fought some great battles to unite all the islands, after which the islands
continued to grow and thrive. He is very revered, and rightly so, he died in Kona
right by where the pier is today. In fact we swim at the beach where his Ali'i house is still seen.



This is the very cool, old style Hawaiian town of Hawi, we ate
at the highly touted Bamboo Restaurant and had ice cream back across the street.
Both came highly recommended and neither disappointed.



This is the best ice cream place in Hawaii, and these are our Canadian friends we happened upon.

We ate inside by the screen doors and listened to Hawaiian music
as the gentle breeze filled our hearts, while the food filled our stomachs.

Our four ice cream chairs on the street, watching life ease by.

A cute store next to our ice cream chairs, shopping was a must for Karen and Carol.

TURKEYS AND WI-FIs

Well, here I sit on our last work Monday at 5:37 A.M. trying to bundle up some thoughts about what’s been happening with me, us, since I last posted on Tuesday, which was about “MAGIC”, which I know you’ve all read. I’ve still got no time to write, but here is a blast of facts beginning with Wednesday the 24^th.

Wi-Fi has been working on an on and off mode from Wednesday-Friday, it has been most off when I had a smattering of time to write, or the energy.

Wednesday in the kitchen was crazy fast with all the prep for THANKSGIVING, I helped pull apart and pan 62 turkeys…hot turkeys…with my bare hands.

Greasy, hot, slippery, turkeys.

No Wi-Fi when we got home. Took the holocaust van to Wal-Mart for much needed shopping, I dodged out after 20 minutes and walked across the street to Borders and read some Hemingway and had a muffin and decaf coffee for dinner, I then bought a great Christian book called “God Attachment.”

I got walked home at night a little lighter and little brighter.

Thursday was a super early day, I, and two others, Ron and Brenda, both from Canada, had the privilege of being team captains of crews for the massive onslaught of people and birds, with this privilege came a longer work day, and earlier work day, and a harder work day. We think we were picked because of our age, Vern said it was because of work ethic, we think a gaggle of 60 something’s was better than a flock of 20 something’s being in charge of anything.

We served at a breakneck pace 1000 people for Thanksgiving Lunch.

My crew had to resupply the quickly vanishing food lines, two tables, two lines for each table, cranberry, yams, turkey, salad, bread, butter, napkins, forks, knives, plates, etc.

My crew had to be at work at 5:00 for packing dinner sacks, so when they came to dinner they could pick up their dinner sacks, since there wasn’t going to be any dinner served at the campus that night.

All Mission Builders had to work only half day, all except me, Ron and Brenda.

SPECIAL NOTE: This is for Heather and Zhenya only, don’t anyone else read it. The Turkey Lunch line lasted from 12:00-2:00 and went all the way up past the pool, up past your building and up on the sidewalk that leads to your building.

The feeding of the birds was like the fishes and the loaves, except reversed, instead of the food multiplying, the people did.

WOW!

Buckwheat and I walked after work to our hangout, “On the Rocks,”resturant, to bury our feet in the beach sand, with the Tozers, from Moosonee, Canada, ya know, except it rained like never before, what a down pour, we were soaked to the bone, it lasted for a couple of hours, but it felt good after being punished by the bird people.

I can’t write about Friday and the weekend because the cattle vans are firing up their engines. Must run, this last week is the 50th Annivesay Celebration week with 5000 people expected, this last week should be fun. Hopefully, I'll post tonight.